This Week in History: 21-27 February

A glimpse into the rich history of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat

21 February 2003: On this day, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IV^rh announced the establishment of a fund for the marriage of underprivileged girls. In his Friday sermon of 28 February, Huzoor^rh named it the “Maryam Shadi Fund’’. (Al Fazl, 25 February 2003, p. 1)

22 February 1917: On this day, the marriage of Hazrat Syeda Amatul Hafeez Begum^ra, the youngest daughter of the Promised Messiah^as, was married to Hazrat Nawab Muhammad Abdullah Khan^ra. (Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 4, p. 175)

22 February 1935: On this day, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud^ra graciously donated 500 rupees towards the fund for the construction of Gurdwara Patna Sahib. The local press lauded this act of generosity. (Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 7, p. 281)

23 February 1901: On this day, I‘jaz-ul-Masih, a book of the Promised Messiah^as, was published by Zia-ul-Islam Press, Qadian. This remarkable Arabic work was written in response to the deceptive tactics of Pir Meher Ali Shah. The Promised Messiah^as composed this masterpiece in an exceptionally short period.

23 February 1986: On this day, a large gathering was held at Mahmud Hall, London, on the 100^th anniversary of the prophecy about Musleh-e-Maud (the Promised Reformer). Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IV^rh graced the closing session with his address. (Silsila-e-Ahmadiyya, Vol. 4, p. 838)

24 February 1887: On this day, Alexander Russell Webb sent a letter to the Promised Messiah^as. This American writer, publisher and the United States Consul to the Philippines (considered by historians to be the earliest prominent Anglo-American Muslim convert) sent his first letter to the Promised Messiah^as from America on 17 December 1886. (Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 1, p. 306)

To read more about him and his correspondence, see: “100 Years Ago… – Alexander Russell Webb’s love for Ahmadiyyat and news from Ceylon, Malabar, India and UK” at www.alhakam.org (12 June 2020, pp. 8-9).

24 February 1990: On this day, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IV^rh delivered a lecture in the English language at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre in London. This important lecture about Islamic solutions to contemporary problems was later expanded and published in book form under the title Islam’s Response to Contemporary Issues. (Silsila-e-Ahmadiyya, Vol. 4, p. 862)

25 February 1921: On this day, a Sikh religious leader from Kartarpur district, Jalandhar, India, visited Qadian and enjoyed the blessed audience of Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud^ra.

To read more about his visit, see: “The Guru of Kartarpur, Jalandhar, in Qadian” at www.alhakam.org (18 June 2021, p. 13). 

25 February 1994: On the completion of 100 years of the extraordinary heavenly sign of the truthfulness of the Promised Messiah – the sign of the solar and lunar eclipse – the Jamaat commemorated the occasion in a special manner. On this day, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IV^rh delivered his Friday sermon at Fazl Mosque, London, shedding light on this subject. Huzoor^rh also mentioned that in Pakistan, Ahmadis were prohibited by the government from holding gatherings to mark the occasion. (Khutbat-e-Tahir, Vol. 13, pp. 139-158)

26 February 1893: On this day, the Promised Messiah^as published an announcement in which he stated that six months before Sheikh Mehr Ali was imprisoned, Allah the Almighty revealed to Hazrat Ahmad^as in a dream that the seat of Sheikh Mehr Ali had caught fire and that the Promised Messiah^as put the fire out by pouring water over it. Seeing the dream, Hazrat Ahmad^as immediately informed Sheikh Mehr Ali of this and asked him to repent and seek Allah’s forgiveness. (Majmu‘ah-e-Ishtiharat, Vol. 1, pp. 395-400)

26 February 1936: On this day, Hazrat Maulvi Sher Ali^ra set out for England with the aim of translating the Holy Quran into English. He stayed there for three and a half years and returned to Qadian on 9 November 1938. Despite his old age, he made this long journey only to complete the English translation of the Holy Quran. (Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 7, p. 301)

27 February 1895: On this day, the Promised Messiah^as published an ishtihar (announcement) titled Qabil-e-Tawajjuh Government Aur Neez Aam Ittelaa Ke Liye (For the attention of the government and to notify the public). Hazrat Ahmad^as stated that Maulvi Muhammad Hussain Batalvi and other opponents tried to deceive the general public, through which even some English newspapers, without knowing the actual facts, published baseless stories about Huzoor^as and the Jamaat. Through this announcement, Huzoor^as conveyed to the masses and the government that he was against all kinds of disorder. (Majmu‘ah-e-Ishtiharat, Vol. 2, pp. 1-2)

27 February 2009: During his Friday sermon on this day, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V^aa mentioned the opposition to the Jamaat in Pakistan and urged members of the Jamaat to pray for the Ahmadis of Pakistan. Huzoor^aa stressed the importance of the following Quranic prayer as well as some other prayers:

رَبَّنَا لَا تُزِغْ قُلُوْبَنَا بَعْدَ اِذْ هَدَيْتَنَا وَهَبْ لَنَا مِنْ لَّدُنْكَ رَحْمَةً اِنَّكَ اَنْتَ الْوَهَّابُ

‘Our Lord, let not our hearts become perverse after Thou hast guided us; and bestow on us mercy from Thyself; surely, Thou alone art the Bestower.’ (Surah Al-e-’Imran, Ch.3:V.9) (Khutbat-e-Masroor, Vol. 7, pp. 105-120)

At the end of each This Week in History, you can find links to the previous and next week’s articles for easier navigation. Click on the dates below to continue reading.

Previous week: 14-20 February

Next week: 28 February – 6 March